A Merry Christmas
by Peachy-Author
Summary: Takes place in the "Present Meets Future" timeline. It's Max and Annabeth's first Christmas as members of Dudley and Kitty's family! Read to find out how it goes! Chapter story! COMPLETE!
1. The Decorating Begins

(A/N: I was struck with inspiration for another Christmas fic for "T.U.F.F. Puppy" and this is what happened! A fic about Max and Annabeth's first Christmas with their new family! Knowing how eager you are to find out about this story, I'm going to start it now!)

It was the day after Thanksgiving in the city of Petropolis. This day was known as Black Friday, a day where lots of people go out and do major Christmas shopping. But Dudley Puppy and his wife, Kitty Katswell-Puppy, had something else planned for today.

"Kids! Get up!" Dudley said as he went to wake the kids.

"What's up, Dad?!" Max asked, worried and a little unhappy at the awakening.

"It's morning! Get out of bed and get dressed! We've got work to do today!" Dudley told him.

"Oh yeah, today's the day after Thanksgiving." Summer remembered.

"I think I know what we're doing today!" Molly said.

The kids quickly hopped out of bed and got dressed. Then they went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, Dudley, Kitty, and the kids ran upstairs to the attic.

"So, what are we looking for?" Annabeth asked, looking around the attic.

"We're looking for the Christmas lights." George said.

"Exactly! We're going to set up the lights!" Kitty said.

"HI-GEE-GEE!" George, Molly, and Summer cheered.

"Where do we set them up?" Max asked.

"Around the living room windows, the front door, the garage door, and the bedroom windows." Molly told him.

"Yeah. We get to fall asleep while watching the lights blink on and off." Summer said.

"Sounds nice." said Annabeth, who couldn't really recall if she'd seen that before.

"Agreed." Max said.

"Let's get to work!" Dudley said.

"Dudley, we have to test the lights first. We have to make sure that they're all working." Kitty reminded her husband.

"Oh, right." Dudley remembered.

Sure enough, the lights were working fine.

Setting up the lights didn't take that long at all. With help from the kids, the lights were set up in no time.

"Okay, now that that's done, let's set the timer." Kitty said, and she and Dudley set the timer so the lights would come on at 6:00 p.m. and turn off at midnight.

And this is the end of Chapter 1. Yeah, I've decided to do this as a chapter story! Hope you're enjoying it so far!


	2. Up Goes The Tree

(A/N: And we're at Chapter 2! Yeah, this is a chapter story! Been a while since I've written one of those, too! Okay, here we go!)

"That didn't take long at all!" George said.

"Right. Now who wants to put up the Christmas tree?" Dudley asked.

"I DO! I DO!" the kids shouted in unison. Dudley and Kitty both saw that coming, but they smiled and went back to the attic to find the tree and decorations, and the kids weren't that far behind.

In a matter of minutes, the kids carried the boxes of tree decorations, and Dudley and Kitty carried the box that held the artificial Christmas tree.

"I can't wait to see what the tree is gonna look like when we're done. Although we had a real tree at the orphanage, it was always small and looked like it was dying." Annabeth said as she set down the box the garland was in.

"Like a Charlie Brown tree?" Summer asked.

"I don't really know..." Annabeth replied.

"We'll show you the tree she mentioned sometime." George promised.

At that point, Dudley and Kitty set up the tree's stand and got the main piece in place. With that, they all started slipping the branches into their proper places.

Once all the branches were in place, Dudley and Kitty tested the lights for the tree. There were only one or two that didn't work, but Dudley and Kitty were still going to put them on the tree.

"Even though some don't work?" Max said.

"It's only one or two that are out. If they didn't light up at all, or if one or more colors, half of the lights, or more than that were out, we'd get a new set. But this isn't going to spoil the tree." Kitty pointed out.

"Okay." Max said.

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Good point." Annabeth said to her adoptive parents.

After the lights were on, the garland went on. And then they got to put ornaments on the tree. That took a while, 'cause they had lots of ornaments to put on the tree.

Now the tree was almost fully decorated, but they still needed to put the angel on top.

"Okay, I think one of you should put the angel on top." Dudley said to the kids as Kitty took the angel out of her box. He looked over the kids and decided that Annabeth could do it.

"Thanks!" Annabeth said as Kitty handed her the angel. Dudley held her up so she could put the angel on top of the 7-ft. tree.

"Alright, now the tree is decorated." George said.

"What should we do now?" Max asked.

"I'd say we should hang the stockings, but we shouldn't." Molly said.

"What? Why not?" Dudley asked.

"This is Max and Annabeth's first Christmas with us..." Molly hinted.

"That's right! They don't have their own stockings yet!" Summer remembered.

"Okay, looks like we're going shopping." Kitty said as she grabbed the car keys.

"Could we also get some candy canes for the tree while we're at it?" Dudley asked.

"So long as you and the kids don't eat them all right away." Kitty teased as everyone got in the car.

"I always save some for the tree. And so do the kids." Dudley said.

"I know. I'm just making sure." Kitty told him.

So they went to the store, and Max and Annabeth picked out their stockings, and Kitty bought some candy canes.

When the family got home, Max and Annabeth helped Dudley and Kitty put some candy canes on the tree while the triplets went to look for and found the stockings. Then they hung the stockings.

So we've reached the end of Chapter 2! Stay tuned, 'cause we're not through yet!


	3. More For Christmas

(A/N: And so we've made it to Chapter 3. We're moving along quite well. Okay, here's what happens next...)

The house was decorated for now, and so everyone decided to relax with a movie, and George suggested they watch the "Peanuts" Christmas special.

"Is it good?" Annabeth whispered to George.

"Yeah. And you'll get to see what a Charlie Brown tree looks like." George whispered back.

"Oh, yeah. You said you'd show me what that looked like. Thanks!" Annabeth said.

"No prob!" George smiled.

So Molly went to get the movie, and Max followed her, eager to help. And he was surprised with their collection of Christmas movies.

"Wow! You guys really have a lot of Christmas movies!" Max exclaimed.

"And we're smug about it!" Molly smiled, finding the movie they were looking for.

"What does that mean?" Max asked.

"I dunno, the author says it a lot." Molly told him as they walked back to the main room with the movie. (A/N: Molly's right, but I got around to saying it after hearing Dad say it sometimes.)

Max and Annabeth paid close attention to the special, and they found it to be good. And when Annabeth saw the tree, she said, "Oh yeah. That's the Christmas tree we had at the orphanage."

"A Charlie Brown tree?" Dudley asked, having heard Annabeth.

"Yup." Annabeth replied.

Kitty realized that they still didn't know much about Annabeth's life at the orphanage. All they knew was that she had been there for quite some time, and that the wrinkled old bat who ran the place had it in for her something fierce.

When the special was over, Max and Annabeth agreed that it was really good, and they liked it.

"Thought you might." Summer replied.

"So, now what?" Dudley asked.

"How about one of those Christmas sing-alongs?" Molly said.

"No..." Annabeth said.

"No?" the triplets asked.

"I don't know that many Christmas songs. I've been in that orphanage for as long as I can remember, and although we had a Christmas tree every year, that was all. No presents, no lights, no stockings, no Christmas songs, no Santa... no nothing." Annabeth said.

"You said you don't know that many." Max said.

"I only know a few Christmas songs, and only a bit of them. Some of the older kids who had families longer than I had mine knew some Christmas songs and tried to teach me what they knew, but only when the old bag wasn't around. Even so, it's not enough for the sing-along." Annabeth said.

"I know quite a few, but you guys probably know more than that..." Max said.

"I've got an idea!" Kitty said.

"Does it involve teaching Max and Annabeth some more Christmas songs?" George asked.

"You bet!" Kitty replied.

So they spent the rest of the day teaching Max and Annabeth some Christmas songs. Max and Annabeth were quick learners, too, so they had quite a few songs learned by the time the lights came on.

When the triplets saw the lights come on, they asked permission before dragging Max and Annabeth out the door so they could see what the house looked like when the lights were on.

"Oh wow..." Annabeth said, enjoying the sight.

"The house looks pretty good." Max smiled.

"Sure does." Summer said.

The kids stayed outside for a little while longer, just seeing how nice the house looked with the Christmas lights on.

So that was Chapter 3! Max and Annabeth's first Christmas as members of Dudley and Kitty's family has got to be a good one. If you stay tuned, you can find out!


	4. Christmas Shopping

(A/N: We've made it to Chapter 4! Okay, let's see what they do in this chapter!)

By now, it was December in the city of Petropolis, and everyone but the bad guys radiated Christmas cheer. The city was decked out for the holiday, and everything was nice. However, this story is still focusing on Dudley and Kitty's family, so let's go!

Over at Dudley and Kitty's house, the kids were up and dressed for the day, and they were happy.

"I can't believe it! Today's the day we do the Christmas shopping spree at the mall!" Summer said.

"I wonder what it's like..." Max said.

"It's fun." Molly told him.

"An all-day activity, but yeah, it's fun." George assured him.

"You think Mom and Dad are ready to go?" Annabeth asked.

"Let's find out." Summer suggested, and they ran to Dudley and Kitty's room.

At this point in time, Dudley and Kitty were getting dressed for the day when they heard a knock at the bedroom door.

"Don't come in!" Kitty called.

"Are you guys almost ready to go to the mall?" George asked.

"Kids, you know that we gotta have breakfast before we go to the mall." Dudley said.

"Oh yeah..." the kids remembered.

"But that shouldn't take long, if you can fix your own breakfasts." Kitty said.

So the kids went downstairs to the kitchen and fixed some toaster waffles, which they were scarfing down by the time Dudley and Kitty showed up, dressed for the day.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to eat so fast?" Kitty said, not amused when she saw the kids wolfing down their breakfasts.

"Oops." the kids all said in unison.

"I know you're in a hurry, but if you eat that fast, you could choke. Just be careful." Kitty told the kids.

"Got it." Max said as the kids resumed eating, a bit slower this time.

After breakfast, everyone got in the car, and they listened to Christmas songs as they made their way to the mall.

Not surprisingly, there were lots of people at the mall, doing their holiday shopping.

"So, what do we do now?" Annabeth asked.

"This is the part where we split up. Some of us go with Mom, and the rest go with Dad." Summer explained.

"Yeah. We get ideas for presents, and even buy some." Molly added.

"What if someone asks for an ornament for Christmas?" Max wanted to know.

"Then they get it right away, 'cause if they get an ornament for Christmas, it won't be on the tree for long, 'cause we take the tree down on December 30th, same as the Christmas lights." George said.

"I see." Annabeth said.

While the kids explained the Christmas shopping day to their friends, Dudley and Kitty were planning it out.

"So we'll meet up again for lunch?" Dudley asked Kitty.

"That's the idea. Then you take the boys, and the girls will go with me." Kitty said.

"And we meet up for dinner, then make our way home." Dudley finished.

"You got it!" Kitty told him.

With that, Dudley and the girls went off in one direction, and Kitty and the boys went another way.

The morning seemed to go by pretty quickly (especially when the groups would go out to the car to hide some presents), and everyone felt relieved when they got to the food court to get lunch. As soon as they got their food, they sat down at one of the tables, glad to rest after all the walking around they had done.

During lunch, Dudley and Kitty exchanged ideas and told each other what the kids got each other, and the kids were doing the same thing. But lunch ended all too soon, and when they left the food court, Dudley had the boys, and Kitty had the girls.

By dinnertime, they'd finished shopping for the day, and everyone was really tired. However, they still seemed pretty happy, and they exchanged more secrets, which really made everyone glad. And when dinner was over, they walked back out to the car and went home to relax after a busy day of shopping.

So that's the end of that chapter. I hope it was good. Please stay tuned for Chapter 5!


	5. Sibling Conversation

(A/N: I can't believe we made it to Chapter 5! What's going to happen here? Let's read it and find out!)

It was now mid-December in the city of Petropolis. Christmas was right around the corner, and the people were excited. But are they as excited as Dudley and Kitty's family? Maybe we should check up on them and see for ourselves.

As I expected, the kids are looking forward to Christmas, but no more than Max and Annabeth, who used to be orphans. The kids were enjoying the month, and they were kept busy with Christmas shopping, helping Kitty bake sweets, a little more decorating, and playing in the snow. Right now, the kids are looking at the big pile of gifts under the Christmas tree.

"Look at all the presents under that tree!" Max said, hardly able to look away from the pile of gifts.

"And quite a few of them are for us!" Annabeth breathed.

"Another merry Christmas in the works!" George grinned.

"This is going to be a merry Christmas for us!" Max said.

"Definitely. I don't remember my first Christmas, and by the time I was old enough to remember Christmases past, they were all terrible!" Annabeth said.

"You think Santa would've stopped by to give you guys some Christmas cheer." Summer said.

"Doesn't Santa leave anything for orphans, to give them some happiness?" Molly asked.

"He doesn't visit orphans, 'cause during my time as an orphan, he never gave me anything." Max said with a sigh.

"Maybe he does visit. But if he does, the old bag probably made sure he stayed away from the orphanage I was at." Annabeth sighed.

"What a witch! If anything, I'm glad you're out of there." George said.

"Me too." Annabeth sighed.

"And I'm glad to have a family again." Max said.

"I used to dream of having a merry Christmas, but this... this is better than my dreams." Annabeth said.

"'Cause you won't wake up from this." Summer knew.

"Exactly." Annabeth smiled.

"Are you guys enjoying the holiday so far?" Molly asked.

"YES!" Max and Annabeth replied in unison.

"If you're liking it now, then you're going to love our Christmas Eve tradition." George said.

"Oh yes. We open the family presents on Christmas Eve, but only when the Christmas lights come on." Summer said.

"Are you serious?!" Max asked, excited now.

"We're as serious as they come." Molly told him.

"Now I know that we're in for a merry Christmas, and it's gonna be the best one we've ever had!" Annabeth said.

"Mainly because I get to spend it with you." George said.

"And with Max here, this is going to be a merry Christmas!" Molly said.

"I can't wait until Christmas!" Summer said.

"Neither can we!" the rest of the kids said in unison.

Okay, so this chapter wasn't really that long, and probably not that exciting, but I'm hoping that the next one will be good. Stay tuned!


	6. With Apologies To Annabeth

(A/N: Okay, so we've made it to Chapter 6. Let's see what happens now!)

It was the Saturday that starts Christmas vacation for the school-age kids in Petropolis. So all the kids are home from school now, looking forward to Christmas. However, the T.U.F.F. agents have their Christmas party today, so their break doesn't start until the day after the party.

This year, Dudley and Kitty left the kids at Snaptrap's new lair (Snaptrap and his henchmen got a new lair when the kids were 7 so the ol' hag would stop scaring the kids to death), and Keswick and Claire's twins were there, too (Nate and Ariel were at their paternal grandparents' house). Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe's triplets were also present.

Since they were together, the kids were having their own gift exchange, and while they seemed alright, Annabeth was pretty uncomfortable, even though she could see that Snaptrap was different here in the future, just like the D.O.O.M. kids said during their adventure in the past.

It didn't take long for Snappy to notice, and he asked Annabeth, "You okay?"

"Not really..." Annabeth replied.

"What's eatin' ya?" Snappy wanted to know.

"It's... your dad..." Annabeth said.

"Dad? He's not a bad guy anymore..." Snappy pointed out.

"I've noticed, and it's great, but... he's the reason I used to be an orphan..." Annabeth told him, and it didn't go unheard.

"WHAT?!" the kids of the reformed villains almost shouted.

"Dad made you an orphan?!" Snappy gasped.

"How did he do it?!" Melody asked.

"I had a dream in which he killed my parents." Annabeth explained, trying her hardest not to tear up. George, sensing it, hurried to Annabeth's side and hugged her.

"When did he do it?" Murray asked.

"I don't know... I've been living in the orphanage for as long as I can remember, and that's where I had the dream for the first time. He shot my parents and killed them." Annabeth said.

"Our parents never did anything like that!" Cruella exclaimed.

"Yeah. They used to be villains, but they weren't that evil." Ursula said.

"And they reformed once we came around." Jafar said.

"Mom and Dad checked and found out that Snaptrap did it before Annabeth was even a year old." Summer said.

"Hang on." Snappy said. He went to go see his dad, who was in the kitchen, fixing some holiday treats.

"Dad, did you have a crime relapse after you reformed?" Snappy asked.

"Actually, yes. But after that, I gave up crime for good. As for the one I did with other villains a little while ago, I was doing it against my will." Snaptrap said. (A/N: Back in "Heroic Kids", Snaptrap was involved in a crime, even though he really didn't want to be.)

"Well, how did your last relapse go?" Snappy asked.

"Let's see..." Snaptrap said. He hadn't wanted to remember that day, but he unfortunately did remember. He continued, "We (that's me and the guys) stole this high-tech blaster from T.U.F.F., as we were going to rob this store. But we didn't realize that the blaster was a prototype (which Dudley and Kitty explained when they showed up and took it back), and it started shooting all over the place. It even shot some people, but believe me, I didn't want to kill anyone."

"You didn't mean to kill anyone?" Snappy asked.

"I didn't want that to happen. I still feel bad about that relapse." Snaptrap sighed.

"Well, I don't wanna make you feel worse, but... Annabeth's birth parents were among the casualties..." Snappy said.

"Annabeth? Dudley and Kitty's adopted daughter?!" Snaptrap asked.

"Yes..." Snappy replied.

"Oh no... I really owe her an apology..." Snaptrap said.

"If she'll listen, but I think I could convince her to." Snappy said.

Snappy went back to the room where the kids were having candy canes (Stella's idea), and he told Annabeth that his dad wished to apologize to her.

"If you're willing to listen." Snappy told her.

Annabeth wasn't so sure she wanted to hear it, but Snappy explained, "There's something he needs to tell you, and it's best you hear it from him."

"Fine. I'll listen..." Annabeth replied, but she wasn't happy.

Snaptrap came into the room, and he approached Annabeth.

"I want you to know that I never meant to kill your parents. I didn't want to kill anybody that day." Snaptrap said. He went on to explain that he had a relapse (his final one) that day, and that he didn't know that the blaster he stole from T.U.F.F. was a prototype that went out of control. He never meant for that to happen, and he still felt really bad about what he did.

"I'm truly, sincerely sorry for what I did that day, and I'll never forgive myself for doing it." Snaptrap said, and he looked Annabeth in the eyes when he said it.

Annabeth could see that he was telling the truth, but she didn't know if she could even forgive him. It took a few minutes, but in the true spirit of Christmas, she said, "I forgive you."

"You do?" Snaptrap and Snappy asked.

"You said you didn't mean to kill anyone, that you didn't want to kill anyone. And you looked me in the eyes when you said it. That alone says that you were telling the truth, and that you really meant it when you apologized." Annabeth explained.

"Thank you." Snaptrap said, feeling grateful.

The rest of the gift exchange went well, and the kids had fun until Dudley, Kitty, Keswick, Claire, Dr. Rabies, and Madame Catastrophe showed up to take them (and their presents) home.

So Annabeth got an extra gift: a long-overdue apology from Snaptrap! That's a good thing! But we still aren't finished, so ya gotta stay tuned!


	7. Decked Out Houses

(A/N: And now we've made it to Chapter 7! I wonder what's going to happen now! Let's see!)

It was a quiet December evening in the city of Petropolis. Every night so far, the kids would go outside and look at the lights on the house for a while. Dudley and Kitty noticed that the kids never seemed to get bored of this. But after watching another Christmas movie, Dudley said, "Who's up for some fun?"

"What kind of fun, Dad?" Summer asked.

"Guess." Dudley said.

They thought real hard, but they just drew a blank.

"It's something we do shortly before Christmas..." Kitty hinted.

The kids still couldn't think of the answer.

"Okay, what have you guys been doing every night since Black Friday?" Dudley asked.

"Falling asleep while watching the lights blink on and off?" Max guessed.

"The middle part." Dudley said.

"Watching the lights?" Max said.

"What about us watching the lights?" George asked.

"There's nothing wrong with it. We were wondering if you'd like to check out some other houses in the neighborhood that are decked-out." Kitty said.

"How 'decked-out' are we talking about?" Annabeth asked.

"The whole block is lit up 'cause all the houses are decorated with tons of lights. But you have to see it to believe it." Molly said.

"WHOA, REALLY?! WE GOTTA SEE THAT!" Max and Annabeth exclaimed in unison.

"Let's go!" Dudley said.

So everyone put on their winter gear, got in the car, popped a Christmas CD in the car's CD player, and went for a drive around the neighborhood, seeing that there were a lot of houses decked-out for the holiday.

"I see what you meant. I've never seen so many lights in one place before!" Annabeth told Molly.

"This is so cool!" Max said, eyes wide with excitement.

"How awesome!" the kids all said together.

They drove around for a while, and since they hadn't had dinner yet, they stopped somewhere to get something to eat before going home.

Once they were home, everyone got ready for bed, and when Dudley and Kitty came in to say good night, they asked Max and Annabeth what they thought of the lights.

"It was amazing!" Max said.

"How long has that been a tradition?" Annabeth asked.

"Since Dudley and I got married." Kitty replied.

"I like it." Annabeth said.

"Me too." Max agreed.

"Glad to hear it." Dudley said.

Then Dudley and Kitty kissed the kids good night before going to bed themselves.

Dudley and Kitty's tradition is one of my own family's traditions, though I really don't know how or when it began. Either way, I do look forward to it, the way the triplets do. But you really have to stay tuned for the next chapter, 'cause there's still more to come!


	8. It's Here At Last!

(A/N: Oh wow! We've gotten to Chapter 8! I can't believe we've made it this far! Alright, let's see what's happening!)

It was Christmas Eve in the city of Petropolis. Unless you're a bad guy, everyone's happy, 'cause everybody knows that this is the night that Santa Claus comes. And I know one place where his arrival will be greatly anticipated. Yup, we're going to Dudley and Kitty's house!

The kids were just waking up, and for a moment, they wondered what day it was. But then they remembered last night, when they crossed off December 23rd, meaning that today was Christmas Eve!

"YEEEEEESSSSSS! It's finally here!" George shouted, startling everybody.

"George, please don't shout like that!" Summer told him.

"Aw, come on! It's Christmas Eve! You know what's happening tonight!" George said.

"A night orphans either wish didn't exist, or that they have a family by now." Max said.

"You know, Max, you haven't mentioned anything about your past." Molly pointed out.

"And with good reason. I don't wish to talk about my past. I just wanna put it behind me, like Timon told Simba to do." Max said.

"Kinda hard for me to do. It's hard to shake the image of the old bag from your head." Annabeth said.

"We know." Summer said, recalling how the old bag showed up twice during their adventures in the past, trying to reclaim Annabeth just so she could make her life miserable.

"But she's unable to do anything to you now, so let's focus on what we're going to do tonight!" George said.

"Stay up and wait for Santa?" Annabeth guessed.

"No..." Molly said.

"I know! You said that the presents under the tree are opened tonight!" Max said.

"We have a winner!" Molly announced.

"Ooh, I can't wait to see what I'm getting!" Summer was excited.

"We've gotta make time fly!" said George.

Meanwhile, Dudley and Kitty were downstairs, fixing breakfast and talking.

"You know what today is, don't you, Dudley?" Kitty asked.

"Christmas Eve! I can't wait till the lights come on!" Dudley said.

"I know. And the kids inherited your impatience." Kitty smiled.

"Can we help it?" Dudley asked.

"I guess not. I'm looking forward to nightfall as well, but I'm a little more patient about it." Kitty said.

At that moment, the kids showed up, and they were just as excited as Kitty thought they'd be.

"I guess you guys know what today is." Dudley said.

"CHRISTMAS EVE!" the kids shouted in unison.

"The longest day of the year." Kitty reminded the children.

"Awwwwww, man!" the kids moaned. In their excitement, they forgot how long Christmas Eve was. The day had a tendency to drag on forever!

And it does! Can the kids find ways to pass the time? Stay tuned in order to find out!


	9. Let's Pass The Time

(A/N: So here's the next chapter! How does the time pass? Let's see!)

The kids knew that time flies when you're having fun, so they needed to have fun in order to make time fly so they could open the presents. Unfortunately...

"The only time we really have fun today is when we start opening those presents." George said.

"Well, that doesn't help..." Annabeth said.

"How about we go play outside in the snow?" Molly suggested.

"Good idea!" Max said.

"Okay!" Summer agreed.

So the kids donned their winter gear and went out to play in the snow. They played until Dudley called them in because "Quacky The Duck" was on.

When the show was over, the kids decided to go back outside and play some more. In fact, they started having a big snowball fight. The fight lasted until the kids got too cold, so they had to go back inside.

Quite a bit of time had passed, but not enough.

"How can we really pass the time?" George asked.

"Well, I was going to play "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past", and try to play through it in one day." Dudley said.

"That game's fun!" Summer replied.

"Have you played it?" Max asked.

"Every now and again..." Summer said.

"She'll play through the dungeons, but she doesn't like to fight the bosses." Molly explained.

"I don't blame her. Some of the boss battles in the "Zelda" games I've seen Dad and George play look pretty difficult." Annabeth said.

"Actually, Dad and George make the boss battles look easy." Max said.

"When you've played the game as often as they have, they look easy." Kitty explained as she passed out mugs of hot chocolate.

So Dudley played the game, but he let the kids do stuff in it, like open a chest containing an item, get an item enhanced, open a dungeon, something that allowed them to contribute. (A/N: You're never too old for that. Even I'm not too old.)

By the time Dudley finished the game (he didn't die once), time really did fly, 'cause it was mid-afternoon.

"Oh yeah, time has flown." George said.

"But we still have a few more hours left." Summer pointed out.

"I'm going to go read Calvin and Hobbes, see if that makes time fly." Molly said.

"Mind if I join you?" Annabeth asked.

"Be my guest." Molly told her, and off they went.

"Well, what can the rest of us do?" Max wondered aloud.

"I suggest avoiding the Christmas tree, because that's only going to tempt us even more." Summer said.

"We've been tempted all day, Summer. I don't think we can be more tempted than this." George said.

"I'm going to go see if Mom and Dad need help with anything." Max said.

"Okay, so what can we do?" George asked Summer.

"I'm going to see if any housework needs doing. You might wanna help, as it could take your mind off of the tree." Summer told him.

"Oooookaaaaayyyy..." George said, not particularly thrilled.

"What if helping me out means something good from Santa?" Summer asked.

"I'd be glad to help!" George said, and he changed his tune.

Seems like the kids will do anything to make time fly! Let's see how they're holding up in the next chapter!


	10. Time For Fun!

(A/N: So I've already made it to Chapter 10! Holy smokes! It's been a long time since I've written a story with this many chapters! Well, let's see what's up now!)

The kids kept busy until 5:30, when it was time for dinner.

"Those lights come on in 30 minutes!" Max said.

"Yeah, but until they do, let's enjoy dinner." Molly said.

So the kids ate their dinner slowly, but it didn't stop them from looking at the clock every now and again.

After dinner, Dudley and Kitty got up to do the dishes, and the kids offered to do the job for them.

"Okay, but you can't just rinse the dishes and call them clean." Kitty said.

"We know." Annabeth said.

"Just checking." Dudley said.

The kids did the job the way they were supposed to, and by the time they were done, the lights came on.

"The lights just came on!" George said, glancing out the window.

"Mom! Dad!" the kids yelled as they ran to the living room.

"We know!" Kitty replied.

"Let's start passing out the gifts!" Dudley said.

The kids went to the tree and checked the tags to find out who was getting what. The job was done in a matter of seconds.

"Okay, given that this is Max and Annabeth's first Christmas with a family again, they should be allowed to go first." Dudley said.

"Yes, but which one of them should go first?" Kitty asked.

"Annabeth can go first. I went first at the gift exchange." Max said.

"Thanks, Max." Annabeth said.

Like every year, the kids got quite a few of the toys, video games, clothes, and books they asked for, and they each got a nice, soft, fluffy blanket. Dudley and Kitty received some of the things on their lists. And the presents were all opened by 7:30.

The kids were busy looking at their new things, and Dudley and Kitty figured that since the night was still young, they could put on a Christmas movie. The movie they chose was "White Christmas".

"Hey, Mom and Dad are gonna watch 'White Christmas'!" Summer said.

"Must be a good movie." Annabeth said.

"It is." Dudley smiled.

"Let's watch." said Max.

And so the family watched "White Christmas". It was no surprise that Max and Annabeth were enjoying it. Then again, they enjoyed every Christmas movie and special that they'd seen so far.

By the time the movie was over, the kids were getting sleepy, but at the same time, they wanted to stay awake so they could see Santa Claus.

"The only problem is, Santa won't come until you're asleep, and he'll know if you're faking it." Kitty said.

"Awww..." the kids said.

But Dudley and Kitty told them the story of "The Night Before Christmas", and wished the kids sweet dreams before leaving the room.

Still, the kids weren't sleepy yet, and they sang "Santa's Comin' Tonight" until they were tired, and then they went to sleep.

And when the next chapter comes, it'll be Christmas Day! Stay tuned!


	11. Wake Up!

(A/N: And now it is Christmas morning! Ooh, the kids are gonna be pretty happy when they wake up! I'll get the chapter going!)

It was finally Christmas Day in the city of Petropolis. Most people were still asleep, but children were waking up, eager to see what Santa brought them. Well, the bad guys are the only ones who didn't get anything, but they're not important. However, since this story is focused on Dudley and Kitty's family, we need to get to their house and find out what's going on!

At Dudley and Kitty's house, George woke up, and it was pretty early, for the sun hadn't come up yet. Still, he remembered what happened last night, and so he knew what today was!

"Annabeth! Get up! Get up! Come on! Get out of bed!" George said to his sister, shaking her a bit so she would wake up.

"No, let me sleep." Annabeth moaned.

"Annabeth! It's Christmas morning! You have to get up!" George told her.

"No! Tell that nasty old bat that she can wait until a decent hour to make the day miserable!" Annabeth said as she pulled the blankets over her head.

"Oh boy..." George realized that Annabeth must've been dreaming about one of her past Christmases, and he knew how miserable those were. He had to find a way to make her realize that those days were gone.

"Annabeth, it's me, George! You're at my house, and the nasty old bat isn't anywhere near here!" George said, hoping that Annabeth would hear and wake up.

At that, Annabeth's eyes opened, and she found that she wasn't in a cold room in a hard bed in that orphanage. She was more than relieved to find herself in the room she shared with her adoptive siblings.

"Oh, thank goodness! It was just a dream! I'm not at the orphanage!" Annabeth said with a sigh of relief.

"Dang! Nobody wants to have a dream like that on Christmas morning." George said.

"You got that right! It's no fun being an orphan on... hold the phone! Did you just say that it's Christmas morning?!" Annabeth started to realize what George said.

"Yes." George grinned.

"WAKE UP, GUYS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Annabeth shouted. Then she turned to George and said, "I always wanted to say that and be happy about it!"

"I know!" George smiled.

"Christmas morning?!" Molly asked.

"All right! Let's go see what Santa brought!" Summer cheered.

"Yes! More presents to open!" Max exclaimed.

"This holiday just keeps getting better and better!" Annabeth said as she and her siblings ran downstairs to see what Santa left.

There were lots of gifts under the tree, and it amazed them to see all the presents.

"We've also got the presents in our stockings, and Grandma Puppy's got gifts for us, too." Molly remembered.

"When does Grandma get here?" Max asked.

"Shortly after breakfast. And since the sun isn't even up yet, we have to wait some more." Summer pointed out.

"Ohhhhhh..." the kids groaned. They were getting really tired of waiting.

Their wait will be over by the next chapter, and I won't keep you waiting for it! Stay tuned!


	12. A Merry Christmas

(A/N: And now we've made it to Chapter 12! Wow! Let's see how the rest of Christmas Day plays out!)

Since the kids had a lot of wait time, they got cleaned up and put on their best holiday clothes. Once they were ready, they made their beds, then they went to the kitchen for breakfast. As a present for their parents, they fixed breakfast, which was French toast.

When Dudley and Kitty got up, they were surprised that breakfast was ready and on the table, but what surprised them even more was that the kids were ready for the day.

"We probably wouldn't be ready if Annabeth hadn't woken us up so early." Max said.

"George was the one who woke me up." Annabeth explained.

"Not my fault it's Christmas morning." George protested.

"Christmas morning?! HI-GEE-GEE!" Dudley shouted, excited.

"Dudley, we aren't getting into the Santa presents and stocking stuffers until your mom gets here." Kitty reminded him.

"Aww, MAN!" Dudley and the kids shouted.

"But she should be here sometime soon." Kitty said, as the sun was starting to come out.

"Great!" Molly smiled.

After breakfast, the kids washed the dishes so Dudley and Kitty could take their shower and get dressed for the day.

When everyone was ready, Peg still had yet to show up, so Dudley and Kitty watched the kids play Nintendo while they waited.

Some minutes later, everyone heard a sound from outside. The sound of a car door closing. At that, the kids paused the game and ran to the window. Peg was outside, walking up to the door with some gifts.

"Grandma!" Summer cheered.

"I'd better go help her out." Dudley said as he ran to get the door for his mom.

When Peg came in, she said she could use some help getting the rest of the presents into the house.

"We'll help!" Dudley, George, and Max eagerly volunteered.

It didn't take long, and the presents were all sorted out. Then they had to decide the order. They decided that Peg could go first, then the kids (Max would be the first of the kids today, since Annabeth went first last night), and then Dudley and Kitty.

Opening their presents took a while, since there were more of them. Santa gave them what they didn't get last night, and so everyone was happy. They got everything they asked for! Max and Annabeth also appreciated the sweaters and scarves that Peg knitted for their Christmas presents.

After the presents were opened and everyone was satisfied, everyone threw out the wrapping paper, and they decided to watch some T.V. There were several Christmas movies on, so they decided to watch some of those while Dudley and Kitty went to start fixing Christmas dinner.

It turned out that Dudley and Kitty weren't alone, because the kids decided to help them out. Now they were really surprised, for they had a feeling the kids would be in the living room, enjoying their presents.

"Are you guys making a head-start to make the nice list next Christmas?" Kitty asked.

"No. We're in a really good mood." Annabeth replied.

"That, and it's best we help you out now so that we can take care of ourselves in case you go out of town or something, unlike Dad when Grandma went out of town for several days." Molly said.

"I should've done what they're doing when I was their age." Dudley said.

Kitty smiled, and the kids helped their parents prepare the Christmas feast.

Later, the feast was ready, and they enjoyed it very much. However, they were too full for dessert, so they sat around the living room and spoke of Christmases past. By the time they were done talking, they had made room for dessert, so they had dessert, which was pumpkin pie (pumpkin pie is good for Thanksgiving AND Christmas).

After dessert, they were going to sing Christmas carols, and Kitty played them on the keyboard Dudley gave her (he became nicer about her piano-playing when she returned to Petropolis after her marriage with Eric ended). She played what she knew, and then it was dark. The family went outside to take one more look at the Christmas lights, 'cause tomorrow, they would take the lights down. There was a light snowfall going on, too, so this made for a pretty sweet scene.

Peg stayed for a little while longer, and then she needed help getting her stuff into the car. The kids helped her with that, and she hugged them tightly before wishing them a merry Christmas. Then Peg drove home.

Now that it was nightfall, Dudley and Kitty got ready for bed, and so did the children. When the kids were tucked into bed, Kitty asked them, "Did you have a merry Christmas?"

"This was the best!" Max said.

"The first good one that I'll be able to remember!" Annabeth said.

"It was great!" George said.

"It was fun!" Summer smiled.

"It was our first one with Max and Annabeth." Molly pointed out.

"And more good ones are sure to follow!" Dudley said.

"You know, we got exactly what we wanted this year. A merry Christmas..." Max began.

"And a family to celebrate it with!" Annabeth finished.

And we heard them exclaiming with all of their might, "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"

The End

Well, looks like Max and Annabeth's first Christmas as members of Dudley and Kitty's family was a merry one. How wonderful! I hope you enjoyed this story, and that it helps to put you in the Christmas spirit! MERRY CHRISTMAS!


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